by Katia Aparecida Pessoa Conde, Eliezer Silva, Carla Oliveira Silva, Elaine Ferreira, Flavio Geraldo Rezende Freitas, Isac Castro, Alvaro Rea-Neto, Cintia Magalhaes Carvalho Grion, Anselmo Dornas Moura, Suzana Margareth Lobo, Luciano Cesar Pontes Azevedo, Flavia Ribeiro Machado
Background
Previous studies showed higher sepsis mortality rates in Brazil compared to other developed or developing countries. Moreover, another trial demonstrated an increased mortality rate in public hospitals compared to private hospitals in Brazil. The reasons for these findings may include delayed recognition and inadequate treatment of sepsis in public facilities. We designed this study to evaluate the factors associated with mortality in septic patients admitted to intensive care units in a network of public and private institutions.
Materials and Methods
This study is a retrospective analysis of a prospective cohort of sepsis patients in 19 private and public institutions in Brazil. We analyzed data from the original database and collected additional data to assess compliance to the treatment guidelines and to determine the time from the onset of organ dysfunction and the sepsis diagnosis by the healthcare team.
Results
A total of 396 patients were analyzed. Patients in public hospitals were younger, had a greater number of dysfunctional organs at baseline and a lower chance to have sepsis diagnosed within two hours of the onset of organ dysfunction. Private hospitals had a better compliance to lactate and blood culture sampling and maintenance of glycemic control. The multivariate analysis showed that age, disease severity at baseline and being treated at a public hospital were independent risk factors for mortality. A delay in the sepsis diagnosis of longer than two hours was associated with mortality only in the public setting.
Conclusions
We confirmed a lower sepsis mortality rate in the private hospitals of this network. Being treated in a public hospital was an independent factor for mortality. Delayed recognition of sepsis was more frequent in public institutions and this might have been associated with a higher mortality. Improving sepsis recognition and early diagnosis may be important targets in public institutions.
Friday, 7 June 2013
Israel’s Ultra-Orthodox Fight to Fit In
Israel has been consumed in recent months with the challenge of integrating the insular, swelling ultra-Orthodox minority, known as Haredim, into society.
EU closes shark finning loophole
Brussels (AFP) June 06, 2013
The European Union on Thursday closed a last loophole in its ban on shark finning, the long-contested practice of fisherman slicing the fins off and then throwing the still live sharks back overboard to die.
The EU banned shark finning in 2003 but special permits still allowed some fisherman to "process" the sharks they caught on board, with the fins and body then being landed together at on
The European Union on Thursday closed a last loophole in its ban on shark finning, the long-contested practice of fisherman slicing the fins off and then throwing the still live sharks back overboard to die.
The EU banned shark finning in 2003 but special permits still allowed some fisherman to "process" the sharks they caught on board, with the fins and body then being landed together at on
US intelligence chief admits spying on foreigners through Google
James Clapper said the leak of details of the country's domestic phone monitoring programme could cause "long-lasting and irreversible harm" to counter-terrorism efforts and admitted the US had targeted foreigners overseas through Facebook and Google.
Pollution in Northern Hemisphere helped cause 1980s African drought
Seattle WA (SPX) Jun 07, 2013
Decades of drought in central Africa reached their worst point in the 1980s, causing Lake Chad, a shallow lake used to water crops in neighboring countries, to almost dry out completely. The shrinking lake and prolonged drought were initially blamed on overgrazing and bad agricultural practices. More recently, Lake Chad became an example of global warming.
New University of Washington rese
Decades of drought in central Africa reached their worst point in the 1980s, causing Lake Chad, a shallow lake used to water crops in neighboring countries, to almost dry out completely. The shrinking lake and prolonged drought were initially blamed on overgrazing and bad agricultural practices. More recently, Lake Chad became an example of global warming.
New University of Washington rese
France has too many immigrants, says Francois Fillon
There are too many immigrants in France, former prime minister Francois Fillon has said, insisting that the country cannot cope with everyone who wants to come in.
Alpine lakes reflect climate change
Heidelberg, Germany (SPX) Jun 07, 2013
Increases in temperature as a result of climate change are mirrored in lake waters where temperatures are also on the rise. A new study, by Dr. Martin Dokulil, retired researcher from the Institute for Limnology at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, forecasts surface water temperatures in large Austrian lakes for 2050 and discusses the impact on the lakes' structure, function and water qual
Increases in temperature as a result of climate change are mirrored in lake waters where temperatures are also on the rise. A new study, by Dr. Martin Dokulil, retired researcher from the Institute for Limnology at the University of Innsbruck in Austria, forecasts surface water temperatures in large Austrian lakes for 2050 and discusses the impact on the lakes' structure, function and water qual
More than 9m in China with dementia
Paris (AFP) June 06, 2013
Around 9.19 million people in China had dementia in 2010, compared with 3.68 million 20 years earlier, according to a study on Friday that throws a spotlight on an emerging health crisis.
In what its authors say is the most detailed study into age-related mental health in China, the paper says prevalence of dementia there is rising far faster than thought and the country is ill-equipped to d
Around 9.19 million people in China had dementia in 2010, compared with 3.68 million 20 years earlier, according to a study on Friday that throws a spotlight on an emerging health crisis.
In what its authors say is the most detailed study into age-related mental health in China, the paper says prevalence of dementia there is rising far faster than thought and the country is ill-equipped to d
U.S. farmer lawsuit filed against Monsanto over GMO wheat
(Reuters) - American wheat farmers and a food safety advocacy group filed a lawsuit Thursday against biotech seed developer Monsanto Co, accusing the company of failing to protect the U.S. wheat market from contamination by its unauthorized wheat
Small island states told to build wider ocean expertise
With rising concern about ocean degradation and the sustainable use of ocean resources, small island states must build scientific expertise that goes beyond their national needs and that benefits the oceans generally, a meeting of UN scientific experts has heard. Small island developing states (SIDS) are the "custodians" of vast ocean spaces that are important for global food security, biodiversity, natural resources and carbon sequestration, and broader sustainable ocean policies will in turn enhance their own economic development, say experts.
Nearly 60 Percent of Greek Youth Unemployed
ATHENS, Greece—Unemployment in recession-mired Greece continued its record-setting rise in March, reaching 26.8 percent of the workforce compared to a revised 26.7 percent a month earlier.
Youth unemployment remained extremely high, despite indications that the figures are beginning to stabilize. Some 58.3 percent of the 15-24 age group were jobless in March, compared to 63.8 in February.
Figures provided by the country’s national statistical authority Thursday set the total number of unemployed in March at 1.3 million.
In March 2008, just before Greece’s finances imploded, forcing the country to accept international bailouts in return for harsh austerity measures, just 390,000 people were jobless.
The monthly statistical data are adjusted to remove seasonal factors, such as the spike in employment during the summer tourist season that would otherwise obscure underlying trends.
The post Nearly 60 Percent of Greek Youth Unemployed appeared first on The Epoch Times.
Youth unemployment remained extremely high, despite indications that the figures are beginning to stabilize. Some 58.3 percent of the 15-24 age group were jobless in March, compared to 63.8 in February.
Figures provided by the country’s national statistical authority Thursday set the total number of unemployed in March at 1.3 million.
In March 2008, just before Greece’s finances imploded, forcing the country to accept international bailouts in return for harsh austerity measures, just 390,000 people were jobless.
The monthly statistical data are adjusted to remove seasonal factors, such as the spike in employment during the summer tourist season that would otherwise obscure underlying trends.
The post Nearly 60 Percent of Greek Youth Unemployed appeared first on The Epoch Times.
Organ Harvesting: Has the Tide Turned?
Whenever I see a documentary on the holocaust, I ask how such a thing could happen over a six-year period between 1939 and 1945, apparently with very few people knowing about it. Then I wrongly assume that something like that could never happen in today’s world of instant global media.
This June 4th marked the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, an event that showed us the Chinese Communist Party’s true nature. It is an event that the CCP still tries to cover up on the Internet. Ten years after that event, the CCP found a new group to victimise, the peaceful spiritual practice of Falun Gong. While it may be hard to believe, the persecution and forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners has lasted twice as long as the Second World War.
Last month in Dublin, at the invitation of the Oireachtas, Mr David Kilgour, Former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific and a Nobel Prize nominee for his comprehensive research on the subject spoke on the issue of forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Kilgour is co-author of the book Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for their Organs.
Kilgour and Ethan Gutmann, himself an independent China-researcher, have been speaking to governments across Europe recently, and both said they were encouraged with the recent progress.
“We had a very good hearing in the Scottish parliament, they seemed to be interested in bringing in a bill that would ban using trafficked organs. Australia has just passed a bill that deals with human trafficking, and there is a section on organ trafficking. It’s certainly not perfect, but it shows that there is now a willingness, a tipping point for parliaments to move on this issue,” said Kilgour.
“It’s about time of course: I’m only sorry I’m not able to tell you that Canada has done something significant. I’m delighted because I feel that we are pushing on an open door here. We spoke to a group of high school students before we went to see the Irish committee, they were appalled at what we told them. I’m sure that’s fairly representative of the opinion of the Irish people on the whole. So I think that this might be a perfect place to show leadership on this issue,” said Kilgour.
The last time Kilgour spoke on this issue in Dublin was seven years ago. Commenting on the time-frame involved in this issue, Kilgour said: “In athletic terms this is not a sport for the short-winded. You have to be very patient as all of us who work on this issue are, but I do get a sense that things are getting better, there is real movement, the UN via the Special Rapporteur on torture has moved on it, the US congress has made some steps. I think we may have reached a tipping point, and parliaments and legislators agree that they have to act.”
On whether organ harvesting can be stopped in China while the CCP are in power, Kilgour said that if it can’t be stopped, then at least countries outside China, such as Ireland or Canada, can make it a crime for their citizens to go to China for organs. “It’s going to be hard to stop it inside of China because it’s so profitable for the people involved; the CCP, the surgeons, etc. But we can certainly make it a crime to go there for organs.”
I asked Kilgour about his journey to date publicising this human rights issue. He said: “It’s an honour to help the voiceless on this matter…There are certain issues that you just don’t say, ‘It didn’t happen this week, I’m going to quit’. It’s important to continue doing it, and continue doing it until they stop. I think the tide has turned.”
The post Organ Harvesting: Has the Tide Turned? appeared first on The Epoch Times.
This June 4th marked the 24th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, an event that showed us the Chinese Communist Party’s true nature. It is an event that the CCP still tries to cover up on the Internet. Ten years after that event, the CCP found a new group to victimise, the peaceful spiritual practice of Falun Gong. While it may be hard to believe, the persecution and forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners has lasted twice as long as the Second World War.
Last month in Dublin, at the invitation of the Oireachtas, Mr David Kilgour, Former Canadian Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific and a Nobel Prize nominee for his comprehensive research on the subject spoke on the issue of forced organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Kilgour is co-author of the book Bloody Harvest: The Killing of Falun Gong for their Organs.
Kilgour and Ethan Gutmann, himself an independent China-researcher, have been speaking to governments across Europe recently, and both said they were encouraged with the recent progress.
“We had a very good hearing in the Scottish parliament, they seemed to be interested in bringing in a bill that would ban using trafficked organs. Australia has just passed a bill that deals with human trafficking, and there is a section on organ trafficking. It’s certainly not perfect, but it shows that there is now a willingness, a tipping point for parliaments to move on this issue,” said Kilgour.
“It’s about time of course: I’m only sorry I’m not able to tell you that Canada has done something significant. I’m delighted because I feel that we are pushing on an open door here. We spoke to a group of high school students before we went to see the Irish committee, they were appalled at what we told them. I’m sure that’s fairly representative of the opinion of the Irish people on the whole. So I think that this might be a perfect place to show leadership on this issue,” said Kilgour.
The last time Kilgour spoke on this issue in Dublin was seven years ago. Commenting on the time-frame involved in this issue, Kilgour said: “In athletic terms this is not a sport for the short-winded. You have to be very patient as all of us who work on this issue are, but I do get a sense that things are getting better, there is real movement, the UN via the Special Rapporteur on torture has moved on it, the US congress has made some steps. I think we may have reached a tipping point, and parliaments and legislators agree that they have to act.”
On whether organ harvesting can be stopped in China while the CCP are in power, Kilgour said that if it can’t be stopped, then at least countries outside China, such as Ireland or Canada, can make it a crime for their citizens to go to China for organs. “It’s going to be hard to stop it inside of China because it’s so profitable for the people involved; the CCP, the surgeons, etc. But we can certainly make it a crime to go there for organs.”
I asked Kilgour about his journey to date publicising this human rights issue. He said: “It’s an honour to help the voiceless on this matter…There are certain issues that you just don’t say, ‘It didn’t happen this week, I’m going to quit’. It’s important to continue doing it, and continue doing it until they stop. I think the tide has turned.”
The post Organ Harvesting: Has the Tide Turned? appeared first on The Epoch Times.
`Mystery' birds from Brazil
While in Rio recently (for the International Symposium on Pterosaurs: see write-up here ), I saw an enormous number of birds, virtually all of which were new to me. I photographed many of them (some were too elusive, or too fleetingly seen, to be captured on film, alas) and, when time allows, I've been going through them with the aim of sharing what I saw here on Tet Zoo. A few of the passerines are giving me problems though and I'm interested in second opinions. On the advice of fellow birder Simon Woolley, I've decided to share a few of those images here. I think I know the species concerned, but have fun trying to identify them yourself. I want to say one more thing before we get on with it: I didn't (and, indeed, couldn't) go on any special birding trips while in Brazil - the many, many species I saw were all hanging around in town, especially in the parks and on the beaches. For most places in the world, animals are (still) everywhere if only you go and look for them. Anyway... [More]
Honeybees and Monoculture: Nothing to Dance About
With all the talk of honey bee decline in the news , you may already know that honey bees don't just make honey. They also give us almonds, cherries, avocados, raspberries, apples...pretty much everything delicious. Of course, there are plenty of native pollinators that can also do that job . But domestic honey bees (first brought to the American continent in the 1600s) are great for large-scale agriculture for a couple of reasons. First, they live in huge colonies of tens of thousands of bees: one colony can visit 50,000 blossoms in a single day. Second, those colonies can easily be picked up and moved around to wherever they're most needed. So the same bees that are used in February to pollinate almonds in California can be moved in April to pollinate cherries and apples in Washington state. Over a million honey bee colonies are moved around the US, going from crop to crop as they come into bloom. [More]
Are We Biologically Safe with Snow Precipitation? A Case Study in Beijing
by Fangxia Shen, Maosheng Yao
In this study, the bacterial and fungal abundances, diversities, conductance levels as well as total organic carbon (TOC) were investigated in the snow samples collected from five different snow occurrences in Beijing between January and March, 2010. The collected snow samples were melted and cultured at three different temperatures (4, 26 and 37°C). The culturable bacterial concentrations were manually counted and the resulting colony forming units (CFUs) at 26°C were further studied using V3 region of 16 S rRNA gene-targeted polymerase chain reaction -denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). The clone library was constructed after the liquid culturing of snow samples at 26°C. And microscopic method was employed to investigate the fungal diversity in the samples. In addition, outdoor air samples were also collected using mixed cellulose ester (MCE) filters and compared with snow samples with respect to described characteristics. The results revealed that snow samples had bacterial concentrations as much as 16000 CFU/ml for those cultured at 26°C, and the conductance levels ranged from 5.6×10−6 to 2.4×10−5 S. PCR-DGGE, sequencing and microscopic analysis revealed remarkable bacterial and fungal diversity differences between the snow samples and the outdoor air samples. In addition, DGGE banding profiles for the snow samples collected were also shown distinctly different from one another. Absent from the outdoor air, certain human, plant, and insect fungal pathogens were found in the snow samples. By calculation, culturable bacteria accounted for an average of 3.38% (±1.96%) of TOC for the snow samples, and 0.01% for that of outdoor air samples. The results here suggest that snow precipitations are important sources of fungal pathogens and ice nucleators, thus could affect local climate, human health and agriculture security.
In this study, the bacterial and fungal abundances, diversities, conductance levels as well as total organic carbon (TOC) were investigated in the snow samples collected from five different snow occurrences in Beijing between January and March, 2010. The collected snow samples were melted and cultured at three different temperatures (4, 26 and 37°C). The culturable bacterial concentrations were manually counted and the resulting colony forming units (CFUs) at 26°C were further studied using V3 region of 16 S rRNA gene-targeted polymerase chain reaction -denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). The clone library was constructed after the liquid culturing of snow samples at 26°C. And microscopic method was employed to investigate the fungal diversity in the samples. In addition, outdoor air samples were also collected using mixed cellulose ester (MCE) filters and compared with snow samples with respect to described characteristics. The results revealed that snow samples had bacterial concentrations as much as 16000 CFU/ml for those cultured at 26°C, and the conductance levels ranged from 5.6×10−6 to 2.4×10−5 S. PCR-DGGE, sequencing and microscopic analysis revealed remarkable bacterial and fungal diversity differences between the snow samples and the outdoor air samples. In addition, DGGE banding profiles for the snow samples collected were also shown distinctly different from one another. Absent from the outdoor air, certain human, plant, and insect fungal pathogens were found in the snow samples. By calculation, culturable bacteria accounted for an average of 3.38% (±1.96%) of TOC for the snow samples, and 0.01% for that of outdoor air samples. The results here suggest that snow precipitations are important sources of fungal pathogens and ice nucleators, thus could affect local climate, human health and agriculture security.
See missile destroy ship Hollywood style
See the Norwegian navy blow up one of its own ships to test out their latest long-range missile capabilities.
1494: Portugal e Espanha dividem o mundo
No dia 7 de junho de 1494, as potências da época, Portugal e Espanha, assinaram o Tratado de Tordesilhas, dividindo o mundo em duas metades.
Air-Conditioning Options
Dear EarthTalk : Now that hot weather is coming, I want to upgrade my home’s A-C. Which are the most energy-saving models and should I go central air or window units? --Jackie Smith, Cary, N.C.
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Widespread rape by staff indicates 'fundamental failure' of juvenile detention
The Justice Department survey, which polled group homes and jails for troubled youths, found that the teens were most often victimized by staff and counselors. A full 20 per cent of the respondents said they were assaulted more than 10 times. Over 8,500 boys and girls under 18 years old were questioned, with 1,720 reporting they had been assaulted.
Allen Beck, who authored the report, told Pro Publica the number of staff-on-inmate attacks was “about three times higher than what we find in the adult arena.” Psychologists and researchers working with sexual assault have long asserted that the number of victims who admit being abused is traditionally much lower than the true amount.
“Today’s report illustrates the fundamental failure of many juvenile detention facilities to keep their youth safe,” said Louisa Stannow, executive director of Just Detention International, a California-based health and human rights organization.
She added that the survey results “show clearly that it is possible to protect young detainees from the devastation of sexual abuse,” but also unfortunately “make painfully clear that many youth facilities have a very, very long way to go.”
The report indicates that sexual assault happens most frequently in Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia and Illinois. No instances of abuse were reported in New York, Massachusetts or Delaware. The survey polled approximately one-third of all juvenile facilities in the United States. Harvard University criminologists Dr. James Gilligan described the American prison system as a “sexual jungle” during an interview with ABC News earlier this year. Rape is a domination tactic that often lasts for years behind bars, with corrections officers groomed to look the other way.
“While the predators – the more violent, powerful inmates – are in effect being given a bribe or a reward to cooperate with the prison authorities,” Gilligan said. “As long as they cooperate, the prison authorities will permit them to have their victims.”
Brazil rejects S&P criticism of policy
Economic policy secretary says ‘investors’ confidence . . . can be measured by events in market’ and points out growth has exceeded global average
One-quarter of Gitmo prisoners now being force-fed
The latest press release from the facility reported the rise in the number of inmates receiving enteral feeds, up from the previous 39. The report also claims that the four prisoners currently undergoing treatment in a detainee hospital are not in critical condition.
The practice of force-feeding the prisoners as a way of avoiding the political ramifications of their death has been condemned as “cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment,” which is illegal under international law.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) brought the issue to the attention of the US government back in May in a joint letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. The rights group detailed the demeaning process by which a detainee is “strapped into a chair with restraints on his legs, arms, body, and sometimes head, immobilizing him.”
“I can’t describe how painful it is to be force-fed this way. As it was thrust in, it made me feel like throwing up. I wanted to vomit, but I couldn’t. There was agony in my chest, throat and stomach. I had never experienced such pain before,” hunger-striker Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel told HRW, relating the horrors of Gitmo’s force-feeding room.
President Barack Obama’s pledge last month to work to close the facility has apparently fallen by the wayside, with no steps taken thus far. He also promised to end the ban on sending prisoners who had been cleared for transfer back to Yemen, one of the main obstacles impeding the closure of the camp.
On Monday, a Republican representative proposed legislation that would effectively force Obama to keep the facility open. The wording in the 2014 defense authorization bill also prohibits the transfer of Guantanamo inmates to the US or countries like Yemen, and would channel $247.4 million of state funds to constructions costs.
The legislation was slammed by Democrats as “a ridiculous waste of money” when the US Military is making cuts to its budget.
Pleas falling on deaf ears
The prisoners at Guantanamo published a plea at the end of May for the physicians overseeing their detention at the camp to be changed. They argued that the current personnel are not impartial to the wishes of the US government.The letter was signed by nine of the Gitmo prisoners, as well as the lawyers of several others.
Prisoners at Guantanamo began their hunger strike four months ago as a desperate attempt to attract international attention to their plight. Some of the inmates have been held without a trial for over a decade, and many have expressed fears they will spend the rest of their lives in their cells in Guantanamo.
Argentina builds first-ever solar neighborhood to fight energy poverty
A solar power project in Buenos Aires is providing electricity for some of the city's poorest households. Volunteers are hoping to create Argentina's first green community - one rooftop at a time.
Elbe water levels peak in Magdeburg as floods head north
The Elbe's high waters are flowing downstream into the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, with water levels topping 2002 highs in Magdeburg. Waters are receding to the south around Dresden, albeit slowly.
Russia introduces drug tests for schoolchildren
The tests would be voluntary and comprise two stages. The first is a written psychological test, followed by medical checks to find traces of illegal drugs in their bodies.
If experts find schoolchildren are using illegal drugs, they would be sent to a rehab centre.
Children younger than 15 will need the consent of their parents before the tests can be carried out.
Many Russian regions have already introduced tests at a local level. Everywhere the tests for illegal drugs are voluntary. The federal law was drafted in November last year and passed by parliament in late May this year.
The anti-drug program has already caused controversy – in some places parents were asked to sign their consent but were not told the details of the test. In others, critics pointed at the insufficient protection of the highly sensitive information and potential damage if the results of the tests (or even the names of those who refused to take them) become public.
Some also pointed at the apparently lax approach by the experts – one of the questions was reportedly a direct “have you ever inhaled gasoline or acetone for the sake of unusual experience’ – something that young children might see as an instruction, rather than a warning.
According to a recent poll among Russians aged 11 to 24, about a quarter had tried illegal drugs usually between the ages of 15 and 16.
The overall number of drug addicts is difficult to estimate – while the number of officially registered patients in rehabs and clinics is about 500,000, experts estimate that the real number of people who regularly use illegal drugs is between between two and two-and-a-half million.
Russia has a fairly strict drug policy and President Vladimir Putin again spoke against the so called “soft drugs” in a recent speech saying that their legalization in certain countries was “a dangerous path”.
If experts find schoolchildren are using illegal drugs, they would be sent to a rehab centre.
Children younger than 15 will need the consent of their parents before the tests can be carried out.
Many Russian regions have already introduced tests at a local level. Everywhere the tests for illegal drugs are voluntary. The federal law was drafted in November last year and passed by parliament in late May this year.
The anti-drug program has already caused controversy – in some places parents were asked to sign their consent but were not told the details of the test. In others, critics pointed at the insufficient protection of the highly sensitive information and potential damage if the results of the tests (or even the names of those who refused to take them) become public.
Some also pointed at the apparently lax approach by the experts – one of the questions was reportedly a direct “have you ever inhaled gasoline or acetone for the sake of unusual experience’ – something that young children might see as an instruction, rather than a warning.
According to a recent poll among Russians aged 11 to 24, about a quarter had tried illegal drugs usually between the ages of 15 and 16.
The overall number of drug addicts is difficult to estimate – while the number of officially registered patients in rehabs and clinics is about 500,000, experts estimate that the real number of people who regularly use illegal drugs is between between two and two-and-a-half million.
Russia has a fairly strict drug policy and President Vladimir Putin again spoke against the so called “soft drugs” in a recent speech saying that their legalization in certain countries was “a dangerous path”.
NSA surveillance scandal: Barack Obama's credibility under scrutiny like never before
Commentary: In the wake of the NSA surveillance scandal, Barack Obama's credibility is under scrutiny like never before, writes Peter Foster.
In Borneo, Stalagmites Tell Modern Story of Rainfall and Climate Change
On the tropical island of Borneo, some of the most spectacular caves in the world also hold a piece of an ongoing climate puzzle.
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No nos servimos de Pemex.- Deschamps
El líder del gremio de Pemex, Carlos Romero Deschamps, dijo que los trabajadores no se sirven de la paraestatal, sino que sirven a ésta.
IBM explores making Java Virtual Machine big part of future cloud platforms
IBM is conducting research that involves making use of the open JVM (Java Virtual Machine) in a cloud-based setting as a way to provide dynamic services, especially to mobile devices.
Putin orders crackdown on Islamists, police detain 300 people
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police rounded up 300 people at a Muslim prayer room in Moscow on Friday after President Vladimir Putin ordered a crackdown on radical Islamists ahead of next year's Winter Olympics in Sochi
Espace Schengen: Berne pour le retour des contrôles aux frontières
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La Suisse a pris part vendredi à un comité mixte sur l'espace Schengen, tenu en marge d'une réunion des ministres européens de l'Intérieur à Luxembourg.
Privacy worries called 'modest'
Sweeping up U.S. phone records and monitoring Internet activity from overseas can help disrupt terrorists, President Obama says. FULL STORY
French gendarmes to patrol Mont Blanc
French gendarmes will be posted on the upper slopes of Mont Blanc for the first time this weekend to stop the place turning into an open-air sewer and danger zone.
Textura's CEO Talks About Innovating A $7 Trillion Industry
Cloud provider Textura (TXTR) pulled off a successful IPO today, with the shares spiking 56% to $23.39.
Top universities falling short of recruitment targets
Leading universities are "significantly" under-recruiting students from state schools and poor backgrounds, according to House of Commons research.
China weighs punitive tariffs on European luxury cars
French newspaper "Les Echo" has reported that China is considering imposing higher customs duties on European luxury cars. Auto makers, notably in Germany, take the threat very seriously, industry officials have said.
Denmark's NOx Tax
Denmark's tax on nitrogen oxide emissions, which was raised during the financial crisis, could be scrapped if it's proven to have a negative impact on jobs and competitiveness.
The centre-left Danish government, which was formed in October 2011, decided at the end of that year to raise the tax from 5 to 25 Danish crowns (from €0.7 to 3.4) per kilo of nitrogen oxide NOx emissions. The tax was introduced on 1 July 2012.
The increased NOx tax was adopted after long debates in the Danish parliament where opposition parties warned it would be expensive not only for companies emitting NOx, but for all businesses.
The centre-left Danish government, which was formed in October 2011, decided at the end of that year to raise the tax from 5 to 25 Danish crowns (from €0.7 to 3.4) per kilo of nitrogen oxide NOx emissions. The tax was introduced on 1 July 2012.
The increased NOx tax was adopted after long debates in the Danish parliament where opposition parties warned it would be expensive not only for companies emitting NOx, but for all businesses.
Mars, Nestle, Hershey accused of price-fixing
Nestle, Mars and Hershey companies in Canada have been charged with conspiring with others to fix the price of chocolate, authorities said. Nestle Canada and Mars Canada both said they would “vigorously defend” themselves against the claims.
Mother told 'there are no doctors' as she tries to save dying baby
A mother who begged nurses to save her dying baby boy at a hospital with a shortage of weekend staff was allegedly told: "There are no doctors".
Se accidenta el autobús que transportaba al primer ministro turco
El autobús que llevaba al primer ministro turco, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, del aeropuerto Ataturk a Estambul ha protagonizado un accidente de tráfico la noche de este jueves al viernes, según informa el diario 'Yeni Shafak'.
La parte superior del autobús del primer ministro se golpeó contra un puente que estaba en obras y los agentes de seguridad tuvieron que examinar el vehículo antes de reanudar la marcha. No se reportan heridos.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan ha vuelto este viernes de una gira de cuatro días por África del Norte a una Turquía inmersa en protestas antigubernamentales.
La parte superior del autobús del primer ministro se golpeó contra un puente que estaba en obras y los agentes de seguridad tuvieron que examinar el vehículo antes de reanudar la marcha. No se reportan heridos.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan ha vuelto este viernes de una gira de cuatro días por África del Norte a una Turquía inmersa en protestas antigubernamentales.
'Like a Ghost Town': High Water Devastates Deggendorf
'
Parts of the Bavarian town of Deggendorf have been completely submerged in this week's flood. SPIEGEL ONLINE joined rescue workers on a nighttime patrol.
Parts of the Bavarian town of Deggendorf have been completely submerged in this week's flood. SPIEGEL ONLINE joined rescue workers on a nighttime patrol.
Elephant Seals: Data Collectors for Polar Oceans
Most of us turn to the weather channel, or the app on our phones to find out the forecast for the week, but where do these predictions stem from? Many of these forecasts are made possible by the analyses of decades of past climate data. From temperatures, to the amount of rainfall, to wind patterns, climate scientists and weather forecasters use this data to deliver insight to future weather predictions. Understanding climate and weather systems in polar regions also plays a part in predicting these patterns. However, data collection in these extreme temperature regions is difficult and expensive as frozen seas prevent accessible channels for ships or buoys to collect data especially during long winters. So how have scientists and marine biologists been able to collect this polar data? With the help of elephant seals, of course.
Why France is gearing up for a culture war with the United States | Agnès Poirier
The recent transatlantic trade agreement talks have reawakened a long-running dispute about the French 'cultural exception'
Do you remember the most Homeric of world trade negotiations, called the Uruguay round, which took place between 1986 and 1994? I was a teenager then and I remember that round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt) vividly.
I had taken to reading the austere Le Monde every day and remember the uncouth Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association in Hollywood, who particularly despised European film directors for pleading with their governments to exclude cinema, and the arts in general, from the negotiations. Valenti roared back: "Culture is like chewing-gum, a product like any other." At the time, France's President François Mitterrand led the rebellion and, sphinx-like, treated the like of Valenti with hauteur. He retorted: "The mind's creations are no mere commodities and can't be treated as such."
The contrast sums up the opposing views: the US considers cinema and the arts as entertainment industries making profits; Europe considers culture as the product of ideas that go beyond a strict commercial value. In the late 80s, France coined the notion of "cultural exception" which has since morphed into the less arrogant-sounding "cultural diversity", a principle adopted in October 2005 by Unesco as a legally binding convention passed by 185 states against two. The naysayers were the US and Israel.
Twenty years later, we're back at it with the opening of talks for a new transatlantic trade agreement. Problem is, this time Europe is in a weaker state. France may have warned this week (paywalled link) that it will not start negotiation if cultural industries are not excluded from trade talks, making its point with a letter signed by 16 European culture ministers, but will it prevail once again? Nothing is less sure. To make the situation even trickier than in 1993, it seems that the EU commission supremo, José Manuel Barroso, is playing a double game. Eager to please Washington – he is said to want to succeed Ban Ki-moon at the UN, he is telling the Europeans to, as we say in French, put water in their wine, ie pacify the Americans. However, Barroso risks appearing incoherent, saying last month, "we should not exclude the audio-visual sector in negotiations with the US," before adding, "at the same time, we must make it clear that the cultural exception is not negotiable." Go figure.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama and his administration are flexing their muscles, saying: "To accomplish and ambitious and comprehensive agreement, we should not be carving out issues before the negotiation even begins." As often before in those testosterone-filled trade negotiations, these are often just words, ways of acting tough. But not only.
The notion of cultural diversity for Europe is a crucial one. It is not, as marketers would have it, a rear-guard reaction from an old continent – it is the fight for a rich intellectual and artistic debate in which profit-making should not be the only consideration. France's system of subsidies for the arts and quotas for European films on its screens has for decades allowed a large public to discover and embrace different points of view. In France, American films have "only" a 50-60% market share, compared with 90% in the UK. Why would we want to see more American films, simply because they have the financial power to impose themselves in our multiplexes, when there are gems to be discovered coming from other countries, albeit financially fragile and which need help to get to us?
Cinema is not the only thorn. Should we just wait while Amazon gives the kiss of death to independent bookshops in Europe through dumping practices (while failing to pay taxes), or should we support those independent booksellers who fulfil an important role in society? The French government has pledged, since March, €18m to the book industry. Is this ugly protectionism or a measure of public sanity?
During a week when China raised taxes on European wine as retaliation against Europe's resistance on the issue of cheap solar panels coming from China, I'd say, let wine fend for itself and let us defend cultural diversity.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Do you remember the most Homeric of world trade negotiations, called the Uruguay round, which took place between 1986 and 1994? I was a teenager then and I remember that round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt) vividly.
I had taken to reading the austere Le Monde every day and remember the uncouth Jack Valenti, head of the Motion Picture Association in Hollywood, who particularly despised European film directors for pleading with their governments to exclude cinema, and the arts in general, from the negotiations. Valenti roared back: "Culture is like chewing-gum, a product like any other." At the time, France's President François Mitterrand led the rebellion and, sphinx-like, treated the like of Valenti with hauteur. He retorted: "The mind's creations are no mere commodities and can't be treated as such."
The contrast sums up the opposing views: the US considers cinema and the arts as entertainment industries making profits; Europe considers culture as the product of ideas that go beyond a strict commercial value. In the late 80s, France coined the notion of "cultural exception" which has since morphed into the less arrogant-sounding "cultural diversity", a principle adopted in October 2005 by Unesco as a legally binding convention passed by 185 states against two. The naysayers were the US and Israel.
Twenty years later, we're back at it with the opening of talks for a new transatlantic trade agreement. Problem is, this time Europe is in a weaker state. France may have warned this week (paywalled link) that it will not start negotiation if cultural industries are not excluded from trade talks, making its point with a letter signed by 16 European culture ministers, but will it prevail once again? Nothing is less sure. To make the situation even trickier than in 1993, it seems that the EU commission supremo, José Manuel Barroso, is playing a double game. Eager to please Washington – he is said to want to succeed Ban Ki-moon at the UN, he is telling the Europeans to, as we say in French, put water in their wine, ie pacify the Americans. However, Barroso risks appearing incoherent, saying last month, "we should not exclude the audio-visual sector in negotiations with the US," before adding, "at the same time, we must make it clear that the cultural exception is not negotiable." Go figure.
Meanwhile, Barack Obama and his administration are flexing their muscles, saying: "To accomplish and ambitious and comprehensive agreement, we should not be carving out issues before the negotiation even begins." As often before in those testosterone-filled trade negotiations, these are often just words, ways of acting tough. But not only.
The notion of cultural diversity for Europe is a crucial one. It is not, as marketers would have it, a rear-guard reaction from an old continent – it is the fight for a rich intellectual and artistic debate in which profit-making should not be the only consideration. France's system of subsidies for the arts and quotas for European films on its screens has for decades allowed a large public to discover and embrace different points of view. In France, American films have "only" a 50-60% market share, compared with 90% in the UK. Why would we want to see more American films, simply because they have the financial power to impose themselves in our multiplexes, when there are gems to be discovered coming from other countries, albeit financially fragile and which need help to get to us?
Cinema is not the only thorn. Should we just wait while Amazon gives the kiss of death to independent bookshops in Europe through dumping practices (while failing to pay taxes), or should we support those independent booksellers who fulfil an important role in society? The French government has pledged, since March, €18m to the book industry. Is this ugly protectionism or a measure of public sanity?
During a week when China raised taxes on European wine as retaliation against Europe's resistance on the issue of cheap solar panels coming from China, I'd say, let wine fend for itself and let us defend cultural diversity.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Here's Exactly How Much You'll Save If You Sell Your House Now [INFOGRAPHIC]
Yesterday we discussed Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff's rationale for why you should sell your home now.
It comes down to rates: they're going to keep rising thanks to still-constrained supply hitting pent-up demand.
So if you're in the trade-up market, it'll be more expensive to buy a home at a given price down the road than now.
Redfin has actually calculated exactly how much you can expect to save if you punch out today:
And here's their explanation (emphasis ours):
With inflation still pretty subdued, you could do a lot with an extra $6,000 a year.
It comes down to rates: they're going to keep rising thanks to still-constrained supply hitting pent-up demand.
So if you're in the trade-up market, it'll be more expensive to buy a home at a given price down the road than now.
Redfin has actually calculated exactly how much you can expect to save if you punch out today:
And here's their explanation (emphasis ours):
You can see that even though this homeowner would make $61,000 more by waiting to sell, the new house is $64,000 more expensive too, a difference of $3,000 in favor of moving up now.
But that’s not the complete picture. The monthly payment, which is driven by interest rates, will be lower for those who move up now vs. later.
Just in the next 12 months, the Mortgage Bankers Association expects rates to rise to 4.4%, which would mean a $130 higher monthly payment.
And that’s a conservative estimate. A typical interest rate, if you look at the past 20 years, is more like 6.5 percent, which is about $500 more per month, or an additional $6,000 per year out of pocket for the move-up buyer who waits.
They also have a handy calculator:With inflation still pretty subdued, you could do a lot with an extra $6,000 a year.
Nicked unencrypted PC with 6,000 bank details lands council fat fine
Second security cock-up in 2 years costs city £150,000
The Information Commissioner’s Office has fined Glasgow City Council £150,000 for losing two unencrypted laptops, one with the personal details of more than 20,000 people - just two years after a similar blunder.…
The Information Commissioner’s Office has fined Glasgow City Council £150,000 for losing two unencrypted laptops, one with the personal details of more than 20,000 people - just two years after a similar blunder.…
Met crackdown on foreign suspects raises fears justice will be denied
Lawyers say police could 'circumvent criminal justice' by using intelligence in civil immigration courts to increase deportations
More than 100 foreign nationals are to be targeted for deportation each week by the Metropolitan police in a crackdown on individuals from abroad suspected of carrying out serious crime in Britain.
A 100-strong team of officers is working with the UK Border Agency in a team known as Operation Nexus to increase the number of people deported from London this year by 2,400. Some of those being targeted will have lived in the country for several years and will not have been convicted of offences. Police say they are using intelligence about such people to influence immigration tribunals in favour of deportation as part of a focus on protecting the public from foreign nationals who commit crime.
The tactics have raised fears among immigration lawyers that the authorities could abuse their use of intelligence to "convict" individuals in the civil immigration courts, which have a lower standard of proof than a criminal court. "It is circumventing the criminal justice system," said S Chelvan, an immigration barrister.
Rita Chadha, chief executive of the Refugee and Migrant Forum of East London, said: "When Nexus first began we were reassured it was only about people who had criminal convictions in this country or in their home countries and who were very high risk.
"What we are seeing now is that they are targeting all crimes and low level criminality. This is going to stop victims coming forward in the black and ethinc minority communities because they fear they will be targeted by Nexus. If you have a woman suffering domestic violence in a household of overstayers she is not going to come forward.
"This is totally going to mess up local policing and any trust communities have in the police."
Commander Steve Rodhouse, of the Metropolitan police, said officers from his unit, Operation Nexus, wanted to increase the number of people whose details were passed to the border agency for deportation from between 30 to 50 a week to more than 100. Some will involve people who have outstayed permission to remain in the country, while others will involve those convicted of crimes or suspected of criminality, whose presence is considered not conducive to the public good.
Met figures show 30% of those arrested each year in the capital are foreign nationals. About half of them are from the EU, according to figures released in 2012.
As part of the action against foreigners who commit crimes, staff from the UKBA are embedded in 72 custody suites across the capital.
Assistant Met commissioner Mark Rowley said officers were able to influence decisions of the immigration tribunals by passing on intelligence on individuals suspected of crimes. Rowley said: "We should be determined and creative in using every power possible to protect the public. Prosecuting people here and putting them in prison is the best option but if that is not going to work we should be using other powers."
But Mark Lilley-Tams, a solicitor from Paragon Law who specialises in deportation cases, said: "If someone who has been arrested has leave to remain [the police and Home Office] need to curtail that leave to be able to remove them.
"To do that on the basis of intelligence is something that has been done rarely in the past. If they are deciding to do it on a more mass scale that is quite worrying." He said the removal of legal aid for immigration cases combined with the tactics being used in Operation Nexus could result in individuals not being given the correct advice when in police stations.
Lilley-Tams said he had a case where the Home Office was trying to deport someone as a "foreign national" who was brought to Britain as an 18-month-old baby.
Judges considering deportation have to balance the right to a family and private life under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights with the public interest in removing foreign nationals because their presence is not conducive to the public good.
The Met and immigration officials cite the case of Lincoln Farquharson, a 46-year-old Jamaican man from Lewisham, south-east London, who was deported last month, as an example of how Operation Nexus can remove dangerous individuals from the streets. Farquharson was arrested for rape in November 2011 and further investigations revealed he was suspected of being a serial rapist, with a history of domestic violence, who had been charged with rape five times between 2006 and 2011. In some cases the charge involved multiple rape and in some cases he threatened his victims with a firearm. Two cases went to trial but the juries did not reach verdicts.
By the time he was arrested in November 2011 he had overstayed his leave to remain. He was detained under immigration powers, and police and Home Office officials collated a file of evidence on him to provide to an immigration tribunal hearing his appeal to illustrate that he posed a continuing threat to women.
After 16 months, in which he fought removal on the basis of his right to a private life, the tribunal ruled that he could be deported and he was removed from the country on 26 May.
Mr Justice Blake, president of the upper tribunal immigration and asylum chamber, ruled in the case: "We are entirely satisfied that his past treatment of women supports an assessment that he presents a real risk of future harm to women."
Detective Superintendent Stuart Dark, of Operation Nexus, said of Farquharson: "We will continue to work to identify and remove those foreign nationals who have avoided criminal prosecution but whose pattern of behaviour means they represent a risk to the British public."
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
More than 100 foreign nationals are to be targeted for deportation each week by the Metropolitan police in a crackdown on individuals from abroad suspected of carrying out serious crime in Britain.
A 100-strong team of officers is working with the UK Border Agency in a team known as Operation Nexus to increase the number of people deported from London this year by 2,400. Some of those being targeted will have lived in the country for several years and will not have been convicted of offences. Police say they are using intelligence about such people to influence immigration tribunals in favour of deportation as part of a focus on protecting the public from foreign nationals who commit crime.
The tactics have raised fears among immigration lawyers that the authorities could abuse their use of intelligence to "convict" individuals in the civil immigration courts, which have a lower standard of proof than a criminal court. "It is circumventing the criminal justice system," said S Chelvan, an immigration barrister.
Rita Chadha, chief executive of the Refugee and Migrant Forum of East London, said: "When Nexus first began we were reassured it was only about people who had criminal convictions in this country or in their home countries and who were very high risk.
"What we are seeing now is that they are targeting all crimes and low level criminality. This is going to stop victims coming forward in the black and ethinc minority communities because they fear they will be targeted by Nexus. If you have a woman suffering domestic violence in a household of overstayers she is not going to come forward.
"This is totally going to mess up local policing and any trust communities have in the police."
Commander Steve Rodhouse, of the Metropolitan police, said officers from his unit, Operation Nexus, wanted to increase the number of people whose details were passed to the border agency for deportation from between 30 to 50 a week to more than 100. Some will involve people who have outstayed permission to remain in the country, while others will involve those convicted of crimes or suspected of criminality, whose presence is considered not conducive to the public good.
Met figures show 30% of those arrested each year in the capital are foreign nationals. About half of them are from the EU, according to figures released in 2012.
As part of the action against foreigners who commit crimes, staff from the UKBA are embedded in 72 custody suites across the capital.
Assistant Met commissioner Mark Rowley said officers were able to influence decisions of the immigration tribunals by passing on intelligence on individuals suspected of crimes. Rowley said: "We should be determined and creative in using every power possible to protect the public. Prosecuting people here and putting them in prison is the best option but if that is not going to work we should be using other powers."
But Mark Lilley-Tams, a solicitor from Paragon Law who specialises in deportation cases, said: "If someone who has been arrested has leave to remain [the police and Home Office] need to curtail that leave to be able to remove them.
"To do that on the basis of intelligence is something that has been done rarely in the past. If they are deciding to do it on a more mass scale that is quite worrying." He said the removal of legal aid for immigration cases combined with the tactics being used in Operation Nexus could result in individuals not being given the correct advice when in police stations.
Lilley-Tams said he had a case where the Home Office was trying to deport someone as a "foreign national" who was brought to Britain as an 18-month-old baby.
Judges considering deportation have to balance the right to a family and private life under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights with the public interest in removing foreign nationals because their presence is not conducive to the public good.
The Met and immigration officials cite the case of Lincoln Farquharson, a 46-year-old Jamaican man from Lewisham, south-east London, who was deported last month, as an example of how Operation Nexus can remove dangerous individuals from the streets. Farquharson was arrested for rape in November 2011 and further investigations revealed he was suspected of being a serial rapist, with a history of domestic violence, who had been charged with rape five times between 2006 and 2011. In some cases the charge involved multiple rape and in some cases he threatened his victims with a firearm. Two cases went to trial but the juries did not reach verdicts.
By the time he was arrested in November 2011 he had overstayed his leave to remain. He was detained under immigration powers, and police and Home Office officials collated a file of evidence on him to provide to an immigration tribunal hearing his appeal to illustrate that he posed a continuing threat to women.
After 16 months, in which he fought removal on the basis of his right to a private life, the tribunal ruled that he could be deported and he was removed from the country on 26 May.
Mr Justice Blake, president of the upper tribunal immigration and asylum chamber, ruled in the case: "We are entirely satisfied that his past treatment of women supports an assessment that he presents a real risk of future harm to women."
Detective Superintendent Stuart Dark, of Operation Nexus, said of Farquharson: "We will continue to work to identify and remove those foreign nationals who have avoided criminal prosecution but whose pattern of behaviour means they represent a risk to the British public."
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
German university opts for gender-neutral language
German is a gender-specific language, but the University of Leipzig has decided to bravely ignore the grammar rules. A ground-breaking feminist linguist tells DW why the German langauge needs to be overhauled.
Former soldiers to qualify as teachers in two years under government scheme
Ex-service personnel with no degree will be able to become teachers in half the normal time from next year
Former soldiers will be able to qualify as teachers in two years under a new government scheme.
From next year, ex-service personnel who do not have a degree, but have experience or qualifications as instructors, coaches or mentors, will be able to sign up to a programme that will put them in the classroom in around half the time it usually takes to become a teacher.
The move is part of a bid by ministers to encourage members of the army, Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy to consider teaching as a career.
The Department for Education (DfE) also said that former military personnel who already had a degree would be handed bursaries and be able to enrol on teacher training courses with extra bespoke training.
The education minister David Laws said the schemes would help ex-servicemen and women to make the move into the classroom.
But a headteachers' leader raised concerns that the programmes would not provide the right preparation and support for teaching, and warned against creating a "military ethos" in schools.
The two schemes are part of the government's Troops to Teachers programme.
To become a teacher, a trainee would usually complete a degree, which often takes three years, and then start a one-year teacher training course to gain qualified teacher status (QTS), a four-year process in total.
Under the government's programme, those leaving the armed forces who do not have a degree but do have relevant experience or qualifications can sign up for a two-year, school-based salaried training scheme.
Those who are accepted on to the course will spend four days a week in the classroom and one day at university, gaining a degree and QTS when they graduate, the DfE said.
Laws said: "Many members of our inspiring armed forces possess the skills and expertise relevant and transferable to the classroom – leadership, discipline, motivation and teamwork. Every child can benefit from having these values instilled in them.
"We want to capture the ethos and talents of those leaving the armed forces, and bring this experience into teaching. We know that our highly skilled servicemen and women can inspire young people and help raise educational attainment.
"Troops to Teachers will make it easier for those who have already contributed so much to our country to continue their brilliant work – this time in the classroom."
Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "There is no doubt that some ex-military personnel have the potential to make excellent teachers, but they need the right preparation and support. From what we've seen so far, this programme lacks both.
"For those without a degree, one day a week at university over a two-year course is not enough.
"Classroom experience is important but there is a whole body of knowledge about learning, brain development, behaviour, not to mention specific subject content, that they will need.
"A 50/50 split of practical to theoretical study is more realistic. For some subjects the top-up may be relatively small but for other subjects, like maths, English and science, it could be substantial."
He added: "Ex-service personnel can bring lots of relevant experience to the classroom, but a military ethos belongs in the military. Schools need a learning ethos."
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Former soldiers will be able to qualify as teachers in two years under a new government scheme.
From next year, ex-service personnel who do not have a degree, but have experience or qualifications as instructors, coaches or mentors, will be able to sign up to a programme that will put them in the classroom in around half the time it usually takes to become a teacher.
The move is part of a bid by ministers to encourage members of the army, Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy to consider teaching as a career.
The Department for Education (DfE) also said that former military personnel who already had a degree would be handed bursaries and be able to enrol on teacher training courses with extra bespoke training.
The education minister David Laws said the schemes would help ex-servicemen and women to make the move into the classroom.
But a headteachers' leader raised concerns that the programmes would not provide the right preparation and support for teaching, and warned against creating a "military ethos" in schools.
The two schemes are part of the government's Troops to Teachers programme.
To become a teacher, a trainee would usually complete a degree, which often takes three years, and then start a one-year teacher training course to gain qualified teacher status (QTS), a four-year process in total.
Under the government's programme, those leaving the armed forces who do not have a degree but do have relevant experience or qualifications can sign up for a two-year, school-based salaried training scheme.
Those who are accepted on to the course will spend four days a week in the classroom and one day at university, gaining a degree and QTS when they graduate, the DfE said.
Laws said: "Many members of our inspiring armed forces possess the skills and expertise relevant and transferable to the classroom – leadership, discipline, motivation and teamwork. Every child can benefit from having these values instilled in them.
"We want to capture the ethos and talents of those leaving the armed forces, and bring this experience into teaching. We know that our highly skilled servicemen and women can inspire young people and help raise educational attainment.
"Troops to Teachers will make it easier for those who have already contributed so much to our country to continue their brilliant work – this time in the classroom."
Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "There is no doubt that some ex-military personnel have the potential to make excellent teachers, but they need the right preparation and support. From what we've seen so far, this programme lacks both.
"For those without a degree, one day a week at university over a two-year course is not enough.
"Classroom experience is important but there is a whole body of knowledge about learning, brain development, behaviour, not to mention specific subject content, that they will need.
"A 50/50 split of practical to theoretical study is more realistic. For some subjects the top-up may be relatively small but for other subjects, like maths, English and science, it could be substantial."
He added: "Ex-service personnel can bring lots of relevant experience to the classroom, but a military ethos belongs in the military. Schools need a learning ethos."
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
The Lusitania disaster - pictures from the past
A photographic highlight selected by the picture desk. On 7 June 1906, the first rivet on the keel plates of the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania was laid at the John Brown Shipyard in Glasgow. At the time of her maiden voyage in September 1907, she was the world's largest ship. In August 1914, the Lusitania was requisitioned by the Admiralty and, nine months later, she was torpedoed by a German U-Boat eleven miles off the southern coast of Ireland. The sinking provoked widespread condemnation of German brutality and contributed to America's entry into the war
Chinese police assault fellow officer 'they mistook for prostitute'
Police in central China have been forced to apologise after allegedly assaulting a fellow cop they "mistook" for a prostitute.
Vitamins: stop taking the pills
Vitamin supplements are good for you, right? Wrong, says a new book – they're a multibillion-pound con and in high doses can increase your risk of heart disease and cancer
Everyone loves vitamins. Derived from the Latin word vita, meaning "life", vitamins are necessary for the conversion of food into energy. Millions of people believe that taking daily vitamins makes them feel better and live longer.
Thirteen vitamins have been identified. When people don't get enough of them, they suffer diseases such as beriberi, pellagra, scurvy and rickets (caused, respectively, by deficiencies of vitamins B1, B3, C and D).
The problem with most vitamins is that they aren't made inside the body; they're available only in foods or supplements. So the question isn't, "Do people need vitamins?" They do. The real questions are: "How much do they need?" and "Do they get enough in foods?" Nutrition experts and vitamin manufacturers are split on the answers to these questions. Nutrition experts argue that all people need is the recommended daily allowance (RDA), typically found in a routine diet. Industry representatives argue that foods don't contain enough vitamins and that larger quantities are needed.
In October 2011, researchers from the University of Minnesota found that women who took supplemental multivitamins died at rates higher than those who didn't. Two days later, researchers from the Cleveland Clinic found that men who took vitamin E had an increased risk of prostate cancer.
These findings weren't new. Seven previous studies had already shown that, for certain groups, some vitamins increased the risk of cancer and heart disease, and shortened lives. Still, in 2012, more than half of all Americans took some form of vitamin supplements and 35% of Britons took them regularly. What few people realise, however, is that their fascination with vitamins can be traced back to one man: a man who was so spectacularly right that he won two Nobel prizes and so spectacularly wrong that he was arguably the world's greatest quack.
In 1931, Linus Pauling published a paper entitled The Nature Of The Chemical Bond, for which he won the Nobel prize in chemistry. He was 30 years old. Not only did Pauling go on to give birth to the field of molecular biology, and contribute to the understanding of the structure of DNA, he showed that humans had diverged from gorillas about 11m years ago, much earlier than scientists had suspected. And he was one of the world's most recognised peace activists. In 1962, he won the Nobel peace prize – the first person ever to win two unshared Nobel prizes.
Then all the rigour and hard work that had made Pauling a legend disappeared. The turning point came in March 1966, when he was 65. He had just received the Carl Neuberg medal. "During a talk in New York City," Pauling recalled, "I mentioned how much pleasure I took in reading about the discoveries made by scientists in their various investigations of the nature of the world, and stated that I hoped I could live another 25 years in order to continue to have this pleasure. On my return to California, I received a letter from a biochemist, Irwin Stone, who had been at the talk. He wrote that if I followed his recommendation of taking 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C, I would live not only 25 years longer, but probably more." Stone, who referred to himself as Dr Stone, had spent two years studying chemistry in college. Later, he received an honorary degree from the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic and a "PhD" from Donsbach University, a non-accredited correspondence school in southern California.
Pauling followed Stone's advice. "I began to feel livelier and healthier. In particular, the severe colds I had suffered several times a year all my life no longer occurred. After a few years, I increased my intake of vitamin C to 10 times, then 20 times, then 300 times the RDA: now 18,000mg per day."
From that day forward, people would remember Linus Pauling for one thing: vitamin C.
In 1970, Pauling published Vitamin C And The Common Cold, urging the public to take 3,000mg of vitamin C every day (about 50 times the RDA). Pauling believed that the common cold would soon be a historical footnote. His book became an instant bestseller. Sales of vitamin C doubled, tripled, and quadrupled. By the mid-1970s, 50 million Americans were following Pauling's advice. In the UK, where vitamin C was known as "Pauling's powder", vitamin sales soon topped £550m annually. Vitamin manufacturers called it "the Linus Pauling effect".
Scientists weren't as enthusiastic. In December 1942, about 30 years before Pauling published his first book, Donald Cowan, Harold Diehl and Abe Baker, from the University of Minnesota, published a paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled Vitamins For The Prevention Of Colds. The authors concluded: "Under the conditions of this controlled study, in which 980 colds were treated… there is no indication that vitamin C alone, an antihistamine alone, or vitamin C plus an antihistamine have any important effect on the duration or severity of infections of the upper respiratory tract."
Other studies followed. After Pauling's pronouncement, researchers at the University of Maryland gave 3,000mg of vitamin C every day for three weeks to 11 volunteers, and a sugar pill (placebo) to 10 others. Then they infected volunteers with a common cold virus. All developed cold symptoms of similar duration. At the University of Toronto, researchers administered vitamin C or placebo to 3,500 volunteers. Again, vitamin C didn't prevent colds, even in those receiving as much as 2,000mg a day. In 2002, Dutch researchers administered multivitamins or placebo to more than 600 volunteers. Again, no difference. At least 15 studies have shown that vitamin C doesn't treat the common cold.
Pauling wasn't finished. Next, he claimed that vitamin C, when taken with massive doses of vitamin A (25,000 international units) and vitamin E (400 to 1,600 IU), as well as selenium (a basic element) and beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A), could do more than just prevent colds: they could treat cancer, along with virtually every disease known to man. Pauling claimed that vitamins and supplements could cure heart disease, mental illness, pneumonia, hepatitis, polio, tuberculosis, measles, mumps, chickenpox, meningitis, shingles, fever blisters, cold sores, canker sores, warts, ageing, allergies, asthma, arthritis, diabetes, retinal detachment, strokes, ulcers, shock, typhoid fever, tetanus, dysentery, whooping cough, leprosy, hay fever, burns, fractures, wounds, heat prostration, altitude sickness, radiation poisoning, glaucoma, kidney failure, influenza, bladder ailments, stress, rabies and snake bites. When the Aids virus entered the US in the 1970s, Pauling claimed vitamins could treat that, too.
In April 1992, the cover of Time declared, "The Real Power Of Vitamins: New research shows they may help fight cancer, heart disease, and the ravages of ageing." The article, written by Anastasia Toufexis, echoed Pauling's ill-founded, disproved notions about the wonders of megavitamins.
Although studies had failed to support him, Pauling believed that vitamins and supplements had one property that made them cure-alls, a property that continues to be hawked on everything from ketchup to pomegranate juice, and that, for sales impact, rivals words such as natural and organic: antioxidant.
Antioxidation v oxidation has been billed as a contest between good and evil. The battle takes place at a cellular level, where the body converts food to energy, a process that requires oxygen and so is called oxidation. One consequence of oxidation is the generation of electron scavengers called free radicals (evil). Free radicals can damage DNA, cell membranes and the lining of arteries; not surprisingly, they've been linked to ageing, cancer and heart disease. To neutralise free radicals, the body makes its own antioxidants (good). Antioxidants can also be found in fruits and vegetables – specifically, selenium, beta-carotene and vitamins A, C and E. Studies have shown that people who eat more fruits and vegetables have a lower incidence of cancer and heart disease, and live longer. The logic is obvious: if people who eat lots of fruit and vegetables are healthier, then people who take supplemental antioxidants should also be healthier. In fact, they can be less healthy.
In 1994, the National Cancer Institute, in collaboration with Finland's National Public Health Institute, studied 29,000 Finnish men, all long-term smokers over 50 years old. This group was chosen because they were at high risk of cancer and heart disease. Subjects were given vitamin E, beta-carotene, both or neither. The results were clear: those taking vitamins and supplements were more likely to die from lung cancer or heart disease than those who didn't take them – the opposite of what researchers had anticipated.
In 1996, investigators from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle studied 18,000 people who, because they had been exposed to asbestos, were at increased risk of lung cancer. Again, subjects received vitamin A, beta-carotene, both or neither. Investigators ended the study abruptly when they realised that those who took vitamins and supplements were dying from cancer and heart disease at rates 28% and 17% higher, respectively, than those who didn't.
In 2004, researchers from the University of Copenhagen reviewed 14 randomised trials involving more than 170,000 people who took vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene to see whether antioxidants could prevent intestinal cancers. Again, antioxidants didn't live up to the hype. The authors concluded: "We could not find evidence that antioxidant supplements can prevent gastrointestinal cancers; on the contrary, they seem to increase overall mortality." When these same researchers evaluated the seven best studies, they found that death rates were 6% higher in those taking vitamins.
In 2005, researchers from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine evaluated 19 studies involving more than 136,000 people and found an increased risk of death associated with supplemental vitamin E. Dr Benjamin Caballero, director of the Centre for Human Nutrition at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said: "This reaffirms what others have said. The evidence for supplementing with any vitamin, particularly vitamin E, is just not there. This idea that people have that [vitamins] will not hurt them may not be that simple." That same year, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association evaluated more than 9,000 people who took high-dose vitamin E to prevent cancer; those who took vitamin E were more likely to develop heart failure than those who didn't.
In 2007, researchers from the National Cancer Institute examined 11,000 men who did or did not take multivitamins. Those who took multivitamins were twice as likely to die from advanced prostate cancer. In 2008, a review of all existing studies involving more than 230,000 people who did or did not receive supplemental antioxidants found that vitamins increased the risk of cancer and heart disease. In October 2011, researchers from the University of Minnesota evaluated 39,000 older women and found that those who took supplemental multivitamins, magnesium, zinc, copper and iron died at rates higher than those who didn't. They concluded: "Based on existing evidence, we see little justification for the general and widespread use of dietary supplements."
But studies haven't hurt sales. In 2010, the vitamin industry grossed $28bn, up 4.4% on the year before. "The thing to do with [these reports] is just ride them out," said Joseph Fortunato, chief executive of GNC, the largest chain of vitamin, mineral and supplement stores in the US. "We see no impact on our business."
How could this be? Given that free radicals clearly damage cells – and given that people who eat diets rich in substances that neutralise free radicals are healthier – why did studies of supplemental antioxidants show they could be harmful?
The most likely explanation is that free radicals aren't as evil as advertised. Although it's clear that free radicals can damage DNA and disrupt cell membranes, that's not always a bad thing. People need free radicals to kill bacteria and eliminate new cancer cells. But when people take large doses of antioxidants, the balance between free radical production and destruction might tip too much in one direction, causing an unnatural state in which the immune system is less able to kill harmful invaders. Researchers have called this "the antioxidant paradox". Whatever the reason, the data is clear: high doses of vitamins and supplements increase the risk of heart disease and cancer; for this reason, not a single national or international organisation responsible for the public's health recommends them.
In May 1980, during an interview at Oregon State University, Pauling was asked, "Does vitamin C have any side-effects on long-term use of, let's say, gram quantities?" His answer was quick and decisive. "No," he replied. Seven months later, his wife died of stomach cancer. In 1994, Linus Pauling died of prostate cancer.
Despite a wealth of scientific evidence, most people don't realise megavitamins can be unsafe. So why don't more people know this? And why haven't regulatory agencies sounded an alarm? The answer is predictable: money and politics.
The vitamin and supplement industry has successfully created a false dichotomy. On one side are natural products: vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements, plants and herbs. Because they're natural, they're safe. On the other side are drugs. Because drugs are man-made, they're supposedly more dangerous. However, many drugs, including antibiotics, are derived from nature. Furthermore, the notion that natural products aren't dangerous is fanciful.
The possibility of harm caused by natural products sold in health food stores isn't theoretical. Blue cohosh can cause heart failure; nutmeg can cause hallucinations; comfrey, kava, chaparral, crotalaria, senecio, jin bu huan, usnea lichen and valerian can cause hepatitis; monkshood and plantain can cause heart arrhythmias; wormwood can cause seizures; stevia leaves can decrease fertility; concentrated green tea extracts can damage the liver; milkweed seed oil and bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) can cause heart damage; thujone can cause neurological damage; and concentrated garlic can cause internal bleeding. Indeed, one of the worst dietary supplement disasters in history occurred in 1992, when about 100 people developed kidney failure from a "slimming" mixture found to contain the plant aristolochia; at least 70 patients required kidney transplants or dialysis, and many later developed bladder cancers. In 2008, more than 200 people – including a four-year-old – were poisoned by massive doses of selenium contained in Total Body Formula and Total Body Mega. The products were supposed to contain 200 micrograms of selenium per serving; instead they contained 40,800 micrograms.
Herbal remedies can also cause harm: two infants died from a tea containing pennyroyal and another from a decongestant containing capsaicin. Because the dietary supplement industry is unregulated, only 170 (0.3%) of the 51,000 new products brought to market since the 1994 Supplement Act have documented safety tests.
In Europe, drugs are regulated by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products. Like the FDA, the EMEA holds drugs to a high standard of safety and efficacy before licensure. But the EMEA doesn't regulate vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements and herbs. Rather, regulation falls to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which has a much lower bar. Lax regulation by the US and Europe of dietary supplements isn't the only problem. All countries have to be concerned about the illegal sale of counterfeit vitamins, nutrients and supplements over the internet.
When pharmaceutical companies make drugs and biologicals, the rules are clear. Company scientists first test the product in animals. If the results are promising, they take the next step, testing it in progressively larger numbers of people. If the results are still promising, they perform a definitive (so-called phase III) study, proving that the product is safe and that it works.
The situation for plants, herbs and dietary supplements is different. If researchers find that dietary supplements don't work or have harmful side-effects, they publish their results in scientific journals. No product recall. No change in the label. No warnings. If people don't read scientific journals, they won't know that claims on the label are false.
Terms such as conventional and alternative medicine are misleading. If a clinical trial shows that a therapy works, it's not an alternative. And if it doesn't work, it's also not an alternative. In a sense, there's no such thing as alternative medicine.
Although mainstream medicine hasn't found a way to treat dementia or enhance memory, practitioners of alternative medicine claim they have: ginkgo biloba. As a consequence, ginkgo is one of the 10 most commonly used natural products. Unfortunately, sales exceed claims. Between 2000 and 2008, the National Institutes of Health funded a collaborative study to determine whether ginkgo worked. More than 3,000 elderly adults were randomly assigned to receive ginkgo or a placebo. Decline in memory and onset of dementia were the same in both groups. In 2012, a study of more than 2,800 adults found that ginkgo didn't ward off Alzheimer's disease.
Another example is St John's wort. Depression is a serious illness; to treat it, scientists have developed medicines that alter brain chemicals such as serotonin. Called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), these drugs are licensed. Because they've been shown to help with severe depression, doctors recommend them. Alternative medicine practitioners, however, have a better idea – a more natural, safer way to treat depression: St John's wort. Between November 1998 and January 2000, 11 academic medical centres randomly assigned 200 outpatients to receive St John's wort or a placebo, finding no difference in any measure of depression.
Milk thistle is a popular remedy. In 2011, Dr Michael Fried of the University of North Carolina led a group of investigators in determining whether milk thistle helped patients with chronic hepatitis C. More than 150 people infected with the virus were given either milk thistle or a placebo. Then investigators determined the amount of liver damage, as well as the quantities of hepatitis C virus in blood. They found no difference between the two groups.
One of the most popular herbal remedies is echinacea. Used to treat colds, it's a $130m-a-year business. In 2003, James Taylor and co-workers at the University of Washington in Seattle studied more than 400 children with colds who had received either echinacea or a placebo for 10 days. The only difference: children taking echinacea were more likely to develop a rash.
Not all the news is grim. Some dietary supplements actually might be of value. Of the 51,000 new supplements on the market, four might be of benefit for otherwise healthy people: omega-3 fatty acids to prevent heart disease; calcium and vitamin D in postmenopausal women, to prevent bone thinning; and folic acid during pregnancy, to prevent birth defects.
In the end, if a medicine works, it's valuable, and if it doesn't work, it's not. "There's a name for alternative medicines that work," says Joe Schwarcz, professor of chemistry and the director of the Office for Science and Society at McGill University in Canada. "It's called medicine."
• This is an edited extract from Killing Us Softly: The Sense And Nonsense Of Alternative Medicine, by Dr Paul Offit, published on 20 June by Fourth Estate at £13.99. To order a copy for £11.19, including free UK mainland p&p, go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop.
• This article was corrected on 7 June 2013. During editing, a line in the fifth from last paragraph, beginning 'Another example is St John's wort…' was accidentally transposed, leading to the suggestion that serotonin was a medicine rather than a brain chemical.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Inondations en Europe centrale: La situation est toujours inquiétante
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Le nord de l'Allemagne et la Hongrie redoublaient d'efforts vendredi pour contenir le danger d'inondations historiques.
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Israel reacts angrily to Austria's withdrawal from Golan Heights
Austria to remove all 380 of its troops from the 1,000-strong UN force on the Israel-Syrian border due to clashes in Syria
Israel has reacted angrily to Austria's decision to withdraw its peacekeeping forces from the Golan Heights, saying the move has undermined the authority of the United Nations as the Syrian civil war threatens to spill over the border into Israel.
Israeli officials say the withdrawal of Austrian troops from the peacekeeping force monitoring the demilitarised border area following the injury of a Filipino soldier during clashes on Thursday threatened the role of the UN Security Council in any future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
In a statement issued late on Thursday afternoon, Austria announced its decision to remove all 380 of its troops from the 1,000-strong force on the Israel-Syrian border due to the "continuing deterioration of the situation in the area".
"Austrian soldiers face an uncontrollable and direct threat, which has increased to an unacceptable level. The development in the early morning hours of today has shown that it is no longer justifiable to watch and wait," said the statement issued by Werner Faymann, Austria's federal chancellor, and Michael Spindelegger, vice-chancellor, of its mission in the Golan.
Syrian rebels groups briefly seized control of the Quneitra border crossing after hours of sustained and intense fighting with tanks and artillery, during which several shells exploded inside Camp Ziouni, a UN compound inside the demilitarised zone, and three mortars reportedly exploded inside Israeli-occupied territory.
During this time, the likelihood of Israeli forces entering Syrian territory to secure their border was higher than at any point since 1974. Israeli military action was averted, officials said, because the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, won and took back control of the crossing.
In Israel, the troop withdrawal was read as a betrayal of the United Nation's commitment to regional security, pledged during Israeli disengagement from Syria in 1974. Austria, along with troops from India and the Philippines, has provided a critical portion of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (Undof) charged with ensuring quiet on this sensitive border for the past 40 years.
"The only reason you want anyone there in the first place is in time of trouble," one senior Israeli official told the Guardian. "For the first time in 40 years, it's not easy so the presence ends? That sends a very problematic message to the Israeli public.
"This means that in any future deal with the Palestinians, we won't accept any disengagement forces from the United Nations because at the first sign of trouble, they'll disappear."
A more reserved statement issued by Israel's foreign ministry expressed its regret at Austria's decision and hoped that "it will not be conducive to further escalation in the region".
"Israel expects the United Nations to uphold its commitment under Security Council Resolution 350 (1974), in virtue of which Undof has been established," it concluded. Israeli officials made it clear they expected the Security Council to fill the gap left by the Austrian troops swiftly.
Thursday's battle marked a crescendo in the clashes between two Syrian regime brigades and a collection of Jihadist and rebel groups wrestling for control of the northern Golan. Fighting alongside the al-Qaeda allied al-Nusra front is a group of Iraqi jihadists calling itself the Quneitra Liberation Front, which claimed responsibility for a string of car bomb attacks on regime intelligence posts. The Yarmouk Martyrs Brigade, responsible for the recent kidnapping of Filipino peacekeepers, is also established in the area.
As the only crossing point between Syria and Israeli-occupied Golan, Quneitra not only holds substantial symbolic importance but is of strategic importance to both sides. It is the only city on the Israeli Syrian border, marking a critical point on the arms supply route between Lebanon rebel groups, and an important gateway to the Alawite communities in the south for Damascus.
As regime forces battled for Quneitra, sporadic fighting between Hezbollah and rebel groups continued in villages north of Qusair on Thursday. Qusair fell to Hezbollah on Wednesday in a significant victory for the government over the rebels. The Syrian army also shelled several villages in which rebels had sought refuge south of the country's third city, Homs. A rebel spokesman, Abu Imad, said the fleeing fighters had 200 wounded with them and that they feared being trapped and killed.
"We are in the north side of Qusair," he said. "And fighting hasn't stopped. They are still chasing us and firing artillery. We are having a major problem evacuating the wounded people."
Hezbollah's lead role in the battle for Qusair is widely seen as a harbinger of a broader role for the Lebanese Shia militia in Syria, having instilled momentum into a regime military that had struggled to gain ground in many parts of the country since last summer.
Rebel leaders in Aleppo said they had concrete intelligence that small numbers of Hezbollah forces were already deployed in Shia villages to the north of the city – Syria's largest – which has been split more or less down the middle since a rebel incursion last July.
"They are coming for Aleppo soon, we know that for sure," the rebel leader, a commander of Aleppo's largest militia, Liwa al-Tawheed, said. "They will need to bypass Homs and Hama to get here and they can only take the highway, so we will know when they start to move. We are expecting a battle before Ramadan." The Muslim holy month is due to start sometime around mid-July.
Hezbollah specialises in urban warfare, a form of combat in which the Syrian Army receives little training. "They do not do fire and manoeuvre well, the Syrians," said a Lebanese general who did not want to be named said. "They follow the Soviet doctrine of standing off and pummelling a battlefield and then eventually going in, but only if they have to.
"Hezbollah train heavily for battles in urban environments under artillery cover. They could shift the balance in Aleppo, where the regime has failed to do so."
While Qusair was hailed as a strategic crossroads for both sides, a fight for Aleppo would prove far more instructive in the eventual outcome of the civil war, which is now four months into its third year.
Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar have reacted furiously to Hezbollah's large and public role in Qusair and have vowed to provide rebel groups with weapons they need to hold the parts of the country they have seized. The main opposition supply lines run through southern Turkey, which is close to Aleppo and within easy reach for the myriad rebel groups who would lead the defence of the city.
The initial success of rebel forces at Quneitra, who not only seized the Syrian section of the border crossing point but destroyed four Syrian army tanks in the process, sent shockwaves through the Israeli security establishment. The IDF declared the border area a military zone. Road 98, an arterial highway running along the armistice line, was closed. Farmers were forbidden from tending their fruit orchards. Kibbutz residents were ordered to stay inside their homes.
The removal of the Austrian troops has undoubtedly shaken Israeli confidence. In their absence, if the Israeli Air Force should launch another strike on a Syrian regime arms convoy bound for Lebanon and the Assad regime feels obliged to enact its promise to retaliate, the Golan Heights, as a pan-Arabic cause mentioned several times by the Hezbollah leader, Nasrallah, in his most recent speech, would be an obvious spot to attack. Israeli intelligence reports that Iranian and Hezbollah reinforcements are already supporting the regime in the Golan.
But while Assad may be winning the battle for Syria on the ground, Israel's analysis remains that he cannot spare the military energy to open a new front with Israel.
"The regime has assured us of quiet on the Golan border for 40 years. Now it seems we have someone in control of that border who has their back to us now but may turn around and face us at any point," a senior Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The message [the Austrian withdrawal] has sent to Israelis is that at the end of the day, we can only rely on ourselves. The IDF is big, strong, ugly and it is reliable. It is us and our kids."
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
Smithsonian scientists discover that rainforests take the heat
Panama City, Panama (SPX) Jun 06, 2013
South American rainforests thrived during three extreme global warming events in the past, say paleontologists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in a new report published in the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Science.
No tropical forests in South America currently experience average yearly temperatures of more than 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius). But by the e
South American rainforests thrived during three extreme global warming events in the past, say paleontologists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in a new report published in the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Science.
No tropical forests in South America currently experience average yearly temperatures of more than 84 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius). But by the e
Neanderthal clues to cancer origins
A Neanderthal living 120,000 years ago had a cancer that is common today, according to fossil evidence.
Oregon GM Wheat Contamination Could Have Ramifications for Canada
Genetically engineered wheat discovered on an Oregon farm should be a wake-up call for Ottawa because similar contamination could have crippling market effects in Canada, says a consumer group.
Genetically engineered (often referred to as GE or GM) wheat, which is not legal anywhere in the world, was found by an Oregon farmer in his crops in April. Scientists tested the sample and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed last week that the wheat was a GM experimental strain developed and field-tested by seed giant Monsanto Co. more than a decade ago.
How the GM wheat ended up on the farm is under investigation by U.S. officials.
Lucy Sharratt, spokesperson for the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), says Canadians should be concerned, since GM wheat has also been field-tested in Canada.
“It’s alarming, because this has the potential for a huge market impact on farmers, and we actually right now have no idea where this contamination came from,” she says.
“It’s alarming because we predicted that something like this would happen, and yet genetically modified crops continue to be field-tested and approved.”
The USDA and Monsanto say the GM wheat does not pose a food safety concern. The market reacted nervously, however, and some importers were quick to shy away from U.S. wheat. Japan rejected nearly 25,000 tons of U.S. white wheat and countries in Asia and Europe have demanded further testing before allowing imports—making it clear that many consumers oppose GM foods.
“We are taking this situation very seriously and have launched a formal investigation,” Michael Firko, with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, said in a statement.
“Our first priority is to as quickly as possible determine the circumstances and extent of the situation and how it happened. … USDA will put all necessary resources towards this investigation.”
According to the USDA, 2005 was the last year GM wheat was tested in fields in the U.S. The last year Monsanto field-tested GM wheat in Canada was 2004.
If the contamination is found to originate from field-testing, the same dangers are present in Canada, where regulations are similar to the U.S., says Sharratt. Since wheat is one of Canada’s top exports—worth nearly $6 billion—a blow to the market would be deeply felt.
“The threat of contamination is actually an economic issue for farmers—it puts farmers in a very vulnerable situation,” she says.
Flax farmers in Canada are still recovering from GM contamination found in 2009 when a strain of flax seeds developed at the University of Saskatchewan made its way into exports—despite having been banned from the market in 2001.
Contamination was found in cereals, bakery products, baking mixes, and nut/seed products, which made it into 35 countries before Canadian flax exports were all but shut down.
Sharratt says this is an example of how little is known about how GM strains spread.
“Even when the Canadian government was allowing field tests of GM wheat they didn’t really know how to manage the contamination risk,” she says.
Given the Oregon contamination, the Canadian government should not allow field trials of GM wheat until they figure out how to contain risks, adds Sharatt.
In the long term, Ottawa needs to research and reassess their entire approach to GM foods, and stop the entry of market-sensitive GM crops. GM alfalfa, for example, is currently in its final stages of approval and could be legal to sell in Eastern Canada as early as this summer, despite opposition from some farmers.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada did not respond to comment requests in time for press deadlines.
Monsanto is conducting its own investigation, and says the Oregon contamination is an isolated incident. The company confirmed, however, that no prior field-testing was ever done at the location where the GM wheat was found.
“We are interested in getting to the bottom of this reported detection in a single field in Oregon,” Philip Miller, VP of regulatory affairs for Monsanto, said in a statement.
“We’re prepared to provide any technical help that we can as this unusual and currently unexplained report raises important questions about the circumstance and source of the presence.”
On Tuesday, a Kansas farmer filed a civil lawsuit against Monsanto over the GM wheat discovery in Oregon, claiming the company’s “gross negligence” hurt local growers by driving down wheat prices and causing some international markets to halt imports. Similar lawsuits are likely to follow, say some analysts.
The U.S.’s $9 billion wheat export market is now holding its breath until officials confirm whether the contamination has spread to more crops, and how it ended up on the Oregon farm in the first place.
The post Oregon GM Wheat Contamination Could Have Ramifications for Canada appeared first on The Epoch Times.
Genetically engineered (often referred to as GE or GM) wheat, which is not legal anywhere in the world, was found by an Oregon farmer in his crops in April. Scientists tested the sample and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed last week that the wheat was a GM experimental strain developed and field-tested by seed giant Monsanto Co. more than a decade ago.
How the GM wheat ended up on the farm is under investigation by U.S. officials.
Lucy Sharratt, spokesperson for the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), says Canadians should be concerned, since GM wheat has also been field-tested in Canada.
“It’s alarming, because this has the potential for a huge market impact on farmers, and we actually right now have no idea where this contamination came from,” she says.
“It’s alarming because we predicted that something like this would happen, and yet genetically modified crops continue to be field-tested and approved.”
Consumer Confidence on Shaky Ground
The USDA and Monsanto say the GM wheat does not pose a food safety concern. The market reacted nervously, however, and some importers were quick to shy away from U.S. wheat. Japan rejected nearly 25,000 tons of U.S. white wheat and countries in Asia and Europe have demanded further testing before allowing imports—making it clear that many consumers oppose GM foods.
“We are taking this situation very seriously and have launched a formal investigation,” Michael Firko, with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, said in a statement.
“Our first priority is to as quickly as possible determine the circumstances and extent of the situation and how it happened. … USDA will put all necessary resources towards this investigation.”
According to the USDA, 2005 was the last year GM wheat was tested in fields in the U.S. The last year Monsanto field-tested GM wheat in Canada was 2004.
If the contamination is found to originate from field-testing, the same dangers are present in Canada, where regulations are similar to the U.S., says Sharratt. Since wheat is one of Canada’s top exports—worth nearly $6 billion—a blow to the market would be deeply felt.
“The threat of contamination is actually an economic issue for farmers—it puts farmers in a very vulnerable situation,” she says.
Flax farmers in Canada are still recovering from GM contamination found in 2009 when a strain of flax seeds developed at the University of Saskatchewan made its way into exports—despite having been banned from the market in 2001.
Contamination was found in cereals, bakery products, baking mixes, and nut/seed products, which made it into 35 countries before Canadian flax exports were all but shut down.
Sharratt says this is an example of how little is known about how GM strains spread.
“Even when the Canadian government was allowing field tests of GM wheat they didn’t really know how to manage the contamination risk,” she says.
Given the Oregon contamination, the Canadian government should not allow field trials of GM wheat until they figure out how to contain risks, adds Sharatt.
In the long term, Ottawa needs to research and reassess their entire approach to GM foods, and stop the entry of market-sensitive GM crops. GM alfalfa, for example, is currently in its final stages of approval and could be legal to sell in Eastern Canada as early as this summer, despite opposition from some farmers.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada did not respond to comment requests in time for press deadlines.
Isolated Incident, says Monsanto
Monsanto is conducting its own investigation, and says the Oregon contamination is an isolated incident. The company confirmed, however, that no prior field-testing was ever done at the location where the GM wheat was found.
“We are interested in getting to the bottom of this reported detection in a single field in Oregon,” Philip Miller, VP of regulatory affairs for Monsanto, said in a statement.
“We’re prepared to provide any technical help that we can as this unusual and currently unexplained report raises important questions about the circumstance and source of the presence.”
On Tuesday, a Kansas farmer filed a civil lawsuit against Monsanto over the GM wheat discovery in Oregon, claiming the company’s “gross negligence” hurt local growers by driving down wheat prices and causing some international markets to halt imports. Similar lawsuits are likely to follow, say some analysts.
The U.S.’s $9 billion wheat export market is now holding its breath until officials confirm whether the contamination has spread to more crops, and how it ended up on the Oregon farm in the first place.
The post Oregon GM Wheat Contamination Could Have Ramifications for Canada appeared first on The Epoch Times.
TSA 'cannot justify' cost, objectivity of screening
The Screening of Passengers by Observation Technique (SPOT) program was instituted in 2004 and has long been criticized for allowing untrained officers to use race as an excuse to scrutinize travelers. The inspector general found there is no sufficient way to gauge the program’s effectiveness, and to boot, the program lacks financial foresight.
“As a result, the TSA cannot ensure that passengers at United States airports are screened objectively, show that the program is cost-effective, or reasonably justify the program’s expansion,” the inspector general said in the report released Tuesday.
It is illegal in the US to screen passengers based on their race, ethnicity or religion.
The “behavioral detection program” was imagined as another method for the TSA to identify potential terrorists before they passed through an airport’s security gate. Agents would try to engage travellers in conversation, attempting to decipher non-verbal cues indicating nervousness or hesitancy to speak with the TSA. They currently do so, often by walking through a security line, but without any training on what behavior indicates that someone is a threat.
Thirty TSA officers who worked in Boston’s Logan Airport complained to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts last year that the program was used to question Hispanics traveling to Florida and African-American men wearing backwards baseball hats.
Those officers reported questioning the passengers based on demands from superiors in upper management, who hoped the closer inspection would yield arrests on outstanding warrants or immigration issues, among other charges.
Law enforcement, acting on referrals from TSA officers, made 1,083 arrests in the first 4.5 years of the SPOT program. Not one of those arrests, according to Bloomberg News, was for terrorism-related charges.
More than 2,800 TSA agents work in the SPOT program, which has so far cost American taxpayers $878 million.
“As a result, the TSA cannot ensure that passengers at United States airports are screened objectively, show that the program is cost-effective, or reasonably justify the program’s expansion,” the inspector general said in the report released Tuesday.
It is illegal in the US to screen passengers based on their race, ethnicity or religion.
The “behavioral detection program” was imagined as another method for the TSA to identify potential terrorists before they passed through an airport’s security gate. Agents would try to engage travellers in conversation, attempting to decipher non-verbal cues indicating nervousness or hesitancy to speak with the TSA. They currently do so, often by walking through a security line, but without any training on what behavior indicates that someone is a threat.
Thirty TSA officers who worked in Boston’s Logan Airport complained to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts last year that the program was used to question Hispanics traveling to Florida and African-American men wearing backwards baseball hats.
Those officers reported questioning the passengers based on demands from superiors in upper management, who hoped the closer inspection would yield arrests on outstanding warrants or immigration issues, among other charges.
Law enforcement, acting on referrals from TSA officers, made 1,083 arrests in the first 4.5 years of the SPOT program. Not one of those arrests, according to Bloomberg News, was for terrorism-related charges.
More than 2,800 TSA agents work in the SPOT program, which has so far cost American taxpayers $878 million.
Classified documents reveal CIA drone strikes often killed unknown people
According to a purportedly exclusive report by NBC News that mirrors findings of an April analysis by McClatchy, between September 3, 2010 and October 30, 2011 the agency’s drone program over Pakistan routinely designated those killed as “other militants,” a label used when the CIA could not determine affiliation, if any.
The review by NBC News paints both a confusing and troubling picture of the CIA’s reported drone strike success, which three former Obama administration officials feared could have missed or simply ignored mistakes.
Of the 14 months worth of classified documents reviewed, 26 out of 114 attacks designate fatalities as “other militants,” while in four other attacks those killed are only described as “foreign fighters.”
Even more irregular are the cases when entry records conflict on the number of those killed, with one such example indicating a drone attack had killed seven to 10 combatants, and another estimating 20 to 22 fatalities.
By comparison, McClatchy’s April review of drone strikes revealed that at least 265 of up to 482 people that the CIA killed during a 12-month period ending in September 2011 were not senior al-Qaeda leaders, but were instead “assessed” as Afghan, Pakistani and “unknown extremists.” Corroborating media accounts show that US drones killed only six top al-Qaeda leaders during the same period.
One key term in analyzing drone strike records are what are known as “signature” strikes, when drones kill suspects based on behavior patterns but without positive identification, versus “personality” strike, which is when drone targets are known terrorist affiliates whose identities are verified.
According to an anonymous senior intelligence official who spoke to NBC, at the peak of drone operations in Pakistan in 2009 and 2010 as many as half of all kills were classified as “signature” strikes.
One former senior intelligence official said that at the height of the drone program in Pakistan in 2009 and 2010, as many as half of the strikes were classified as signature strikes.
Retired Admiral Dennis Blair, the former Director of National Intelligence from 2009 to 2010, addressed NBC’s report with the claim that the precision of drone strikes was superior to those of traditional battlefield weapons.
“In Afghanistan and Iraq and places where you have troops in combat ... you know better with drones who you’re killing than you do when you’re calling in artillery fire from a spotter [or] calling in an airplane strike,” he said.
“This is no different from decisions that are made on the battlefield all the time by soldiers and Marines who are being shot at, not knowing who fired the shot, having to make judgments on shooting back or not. This is the nature of warfare,” added Blair.
As to just how analysts arrive at determining unverified, “signature” drone targets, that system relies on data which draws connections between the unidentified individuals and known militants. That might entail monitoring everything from the frequency that a suspect visits a particular location, meets certain individuals, or makes phone calls and sends emails.
During a key speech defending his administration’s use of targeted drone killings in May, President Obama defended the CIA’s drone program as a “legal,” “lethal” and “effective” counterterrorism tool, while at the same time acknowledging some civilian casualties.
A report entitled “Living Under Drones,” jointly released by Stanford University and New York University in 2012, is far less muted on civilian casualties, and argues that the civilian death toll in drone strikes over Pakistan is far higher than is reported.
In the classified reports reviewed by NBC News, for example, of the 600 some killed only one is listed as a civilian, a statistic which Micah Zenko, a drone expert at the Council on Foreign Relations described as “incredible.”
The Stanford-NYU report, for its part, bases its conclusions on 130 interviews, as well as a review of media reports, though the methodology employed can itself be a subject of debate.
Separately, an Associated Press investigation in 2012 reported that out of 10 drone strikes over a period of 18 months, Pakistani villagers claimed that only 70 per cent of those killed by US strikes were militants, with the rest either civilians or tribal police.
The review by NBC News paints both a confusing and troubling picture of the CIA’s reported drone strike success, which three former Obama administration officials feared could have missed or simply ignored mistakes.
Of the 14 months worth of classified documents reviewed, 26 out of 114 attacks designate fatalities as “other militants,” while in four other attacks those killed are only described as “foreign fighters.”
Even more irregular are the cases when entry records conflict on the number of those killed, with one such example indicating a drone attack had killed seven to 10 combatants, and another estimating 20 to 22 fatalities.
By comparison, McClatchy’s April review of drone strikes revealed that at least 265 of up to 482 people that the CIA killed during a 12-month period ending in September 2011 were not senior al-Qaeda leaders, but were instead “assessed” as Afghan, Pakistani and “unknown extremists.” Corroborating media accounts show that US drones killed only six top al-Qaeda leaders during the same period.
One key term in analyzing drone strike records are what are known as “signature” strikes, when drones kill suspects based on behavior patterns but without positive identification, versus “personality” strike, which is when drone targets are known terrorist affiliates whose identities are verified.
According to an anonymous senior intelligence official who spoke to NBC, at the peak of drone operations in Pakistan in 2009 and 2010 as many as half of all kills were classified as “signature” strikes.
One former senior intelligence official said that at the height of the drone program in Pakistan in 2009 and 2010, as many as half of the strikes were classified as signature strikes.
Retired Admiral Dennis Blair, the former Director of National Intelligence from 2009 to 2010, addressed NBC’s report with the claim that the precision of drone strikes was superior to those of traditional battlefield weapons.
“In Afghanistan and Iraq and places where you have troops in combat ... you know better with drones who you’re killing than you do when you’re calling in artillery fire from a spotter [or] calling in an airplane strike,” he said.
“This is no different from decisions that are made on the battlefield all the time by soldiers and Marines who are being shot at, not knowing who fired the shot, having to make judgments on shooting back or not. This is the nature of warfare,” added Blair.
As to just how analysts arrive at determining unverified, “signature” drone targets, that system relies on data which draws connections between the unidentified individuals and known militants. That might entail monitoring everything from the frequency that a suspect visits a particular location, meets certain individuals, or makes phone calls and sends emails.
During a key speech defending his administration’s use of targeted drone killings in May, President Obama defended the CIA’s drone program as a “legal,” “lethal” and “effective” counterterrorism tool, while at the same time acknowledging some civilian casualties.
A report entitled “Living Under Drones,” jointly released by Stanford University and New York University in 2012, is far less muted on civilian casualties, and argues that the civilian death toll in drone strikes over Pakistan is far higher than is reported.
In the classified reports reviewed by NBC News, for example, of the 600 some killed only one is listed as a civilian, a statistic which Micah Zenko, a drone expert at the Council on Foreign Relations described as “incredible.”
The Stanford-NYU report, for its part, bases its conclusions on 130 interviews, as well as a review of media reports, though the methodology employed can itself be a subject of debate.
Separately, an Associated Press investigation in 2012 reported that out of 10 drone strikes over a period of 18 months, Pakistani villagers claimed that only 70 per cent of those killed by US strikes were militants, with the rest either civilians or tribal police.
Kill the bill: Swiss parliament stalls banking secrecy bill
The legislation, which has been dubbed by some Swiss media outlets as ‘American dictate’, is a strong demand by the US in a step for Switzerland to end their banking secrecy regime and bring transparency to their shady practices.
The accord, if enacted into law by Swiss parliament, aims to better track tax evasion in the alpine nation. Last week, Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpt told reporters that her cabinet had approved the bill.
The Swiss news agency, ATS, reported 90 votes were in favor, and 100 opposed to debate the new law, which is expected to decided upon during the summer parliament session, which began on Monday and will come to a close on June 21.
Before voting, members from various political parties voiced concerns over the details of the deal to hand over sensitive data to Washington.
A committee, supported by elected members of the Swiss People’s Party, the Christian Democrats and the Ticino League, have until December 4th 2014 to collect 100,000 signatures to put the proposal to a national vote.
On Tuesday, the right-wing Swiss People's Party launched a campaign to kill the bill and said the package was too ‘vague’ and could create trouble for Swiss bankers.
The bill is vague because Washington and Bern are keeping mum about the details and conditions of the deal, and plan to keep quiet until after the Parliament approves it. Once approved, Parliament will not be able to amend the accord.
Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf last week said that U.S. authorities had proposed a “unilateral offer, one that we couldn’t negotiate”.
Following a public scandal in France, bank secrecy was written into Swiss law in 1934. It has served as a financial safe haven for funds from all corners of the world, and its tight lipped policy helped it build its $2 trillion financial industry.
The US pressure mounted in 2009, when Switzerland’s biggest lender, UBS, admitted to helping 52,000 American clients evade taxes. The bank narrowly escaped prosecution in exchange for handing over 5,000 client names and paying a $780 million fine.
In January Switzerland’s oldest private bank, Wegelin & Co, said it would close down for good after over 250 years of service, following its guilty plea to charges of helping prosperous Americans hide more than $1.2 billion from the Internal Revenue Service through secret accounts.
A managing partner at the bank, Otto Bruderer, confirmed in court that "from about 2002 through to about 2010, Wegelin agreed with certain US taxpayers to evade the US tax obligations of these US taxpayer clients, who filed false tax returns with the IRS."
The accord, if enacted into law by Swiss parliament, aims to better track tax evasion in the alpine nation. Last week, Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpt told reporters that her cabinet had approved the bill.
The Swiss news agency, ATS, reported 90 votes were in favor, and 100 opposed to debate the new law, which is expected to decided upon during the summer parliament session, which began on Monday and will come to a close on June 21.
Before voting, members from various political parties voiced concerns over the details of the deal to hand over sensitive data to Washington.
A committee, supported by elected members of the Swiss People’s Party, the Christian Democrats and the Ticino League, have until December 4th 2014 to collect 100,000 signatures to put the proposal to a national vote.
On Tuesday, the right-wing Swiss People's Party launched a campaign to kill the bill and said the package was too ‘vague’ and could create trouble for Swiss bankers.
The bill is vague because Washington and Bern are keeping mum about the details and conditions of the deal, and plan to keep quiet until after the Parliament approves it. Once approved, Parliament will not be able to amend the accord.
Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf last week said that U.S. authorities had proposed a “unilateral offer, one that we couldn’t negotiate”.
Following a public scandal in France, bank secrecy was written into Swiss law in 1934. It has served as a financial safe haven for funds from all corners of the world, and its tight lipped policy helped it build its $2 trillion financial industry.
The US pressure mounted in 2009, when Switzerland’s biggest lender, UBS, admitted to helping 52,000 American clients evade taxes. The bank narrowly escaped prosecution in exchange for handing over 5,000 client names and paying a $780 million fine.
In January Switzerland’s oldest private bank, Wegelin & Co, said it would close down for good after over 250 years of service, following its guilty plea to charges of helping prosperous Americans hide more than $1.2 billion from the Internal Revenue Service through secret accounts.
A managing partner at the bank, Otto Bruderer, confirmed in court that "from about 2002 through to about 2010, Wegelin agreed with certain US taxpayers to evade the US tax obligations of these US taxpayer clients, who filed false tax returns with the IRS."
François Hollande recibió el premio de la Paz de la UNESCO por la intervención en Mali
El presidente francés, François Hollande, recibió este miércoles el premio Félix Houphouët-Boigny de fomento de la paz de la UNESCO por su decisión de intervenir militarmente en Mali el pasado enero.
Nueve jefes de Estado y de Gobierno africanos, incluido el líder malí Dioncounda Traoré, manifestaron su "gratitud" al presidente francés, recompensado por la UNESCO "por su valiosa contribución a la paz y a la estabilidad en África".
En la ceremonia Hollande subrayó que los 150.000 dólares del premio serán donados a la rama malí de la organización Paz y Seguridad para las Mujeres, de la Comunidad Económica de Estados de África Occidental (CEDEAO), y a la asociación francesa Solidaridad Defensa, que ayuda a los soldados heridos.
Nueve jefes de Estado y de Gobierno africanos, incluido el líder malí Dioncounda Traoré, manifestaron su "gratitud" al presidente francés, recompensado por la UNESCO "por su valiosa contribución a la paz y a la estabilidad en África".
En la ceremonia Hollande subrayó que los 150.000 dólares del premio serán donados a la rama malí de la organización Paz y Seguridad para las Mujeres, de la Comunidad Económica de Estados de África Occidental (CEDEAO), y a la asociación francesa Solidaridad Defensa, que ayuda a los soldados heridos.
Bélgica obligará a su familia real a pagar impuestos y reducirá su dotación
Bélgica reducirá la dotación que recibe su familia real y obligará por primera vez a sus miembros a pagar impuestos por parte del dinero que ingresen. Así lo estipula un acuerdo alcanzado hoy entre los ocho partidos que negocian una reforma del Estado.
Según anunció el primer ministro, Elio Di Rupo, la cantidad de familiares del rey beneficiarios de las dotaciones se verá reducida considerablemente en el futuro.
Según anunció el primer ministro, Elio Di Rupo, la cantidad de familiares del rey beneficiarios de las dotaciones se verá reducida considerablemente en el futuro.
Mercedes-Benz podría empezar a producir autos en México
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO, 6 de junio.- Mercedes-Benz, unidad de Daimler AG, está evaluando comenzar a producir automóviles en México en asociación con Nissan o Renault, dijo el jueves un diario local citando al director de la automotriz alemana en el país.
"Hay un claro interés por el mercado nacional, se están considerando varias alternativas, una de ellas producir de manera conjunta con Nissan Mexicana, o de tener Renault una fábrica en México, igualmente se podría producir con ellos ", dijo al diario Pedro Tabera, director general de Mercedes-Benz Autos México.
Entre los vehículos que podría empezar a fabricar la empresa en el país estarían los modelos de la clase "A", la más económica de la firma de automóviles de lujo.
"Hay un claro interés por el mercado nacional, se están considerando varias alternativas, una de ellas producir de manera conjunta con Nissan Mexicana, o de tener Renault una fábrica en México, igualmente se podría producir con ellos ", dijo al diario Pedro Tabera, director general de Mercedes-Benz Autos México.
Entre los vehículos que podría empezar a fabricar la empresa en el país estarían los modelos de la clase "A", la más económica de la firma de automóviles de lujo.
Britain to pay for colonial-era torture, denies liability
LONDON/NAIROBI (Reuters) - Britain expressed regret on Thursday for the abuse of Kenyans by colonial forces during the 1950s Mau Mau insurgency and announced compensation for 5,228 survivors, but stopped short of apologizing.
New Viking voyage to Newfoundland discovered
By Owen JarusLiveScienceSome 1,000 years ago, the Vikings set off on a voyage to Notre Dame Bay in modern-day Newfoundland, Canada, new evidence suggests.The journey would have taken the Vikings, also called the Norse, from L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of the same island to a densely populated part of Newfoundland and may have led to the first contact between Europeans and the indigenous...
IRS official in Star Trek spoof apologizes for lavish conference
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top official at the U.S. Internal Revenue Service on Thursday acknowledged that it was "embarrassing" how much the tax agency spent on training videos, including a Star Trek spoof, and other lavish expenses during a 2010 conference in California
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